Heir To Buckland
by Ansostuff
Summary: The Brandywine floods and Merry takes responsibility to heart without thinking of the consequences for himself.
1. Part one

TITLE: Heir to Buckland  
AUTHOR: Anso the Hobbit  
BETA: Marigold  
RATING: G  
CHARACTERS: Merry, Frodo, Esmeralda, Saradoc, various Brandybucks and other Bucklanders, brief mention of Pippin  
TIMELINE: 1394 S.R., so Merry is 12 and Frodo is 26  
SUMMARY: The Brandywine floods and Merry takes responsibility to heart.  
DISCLAIMER: They all belong to Tolkien, I just borrowed them for a while.   
NOTE: Thanks to Marigold for the plot. Feedback would be nice… Enjoy!  
WEB PAGE: ansohobbit@hotmail.com  
  


PART ONE: The Master's Duty  
  


Merry loved the Master's study at Brandy Hall. For some reason the smell of dusty old books, ink, leather and pipe weed attracted him. His father had taken over many of the responsibilities as Master now, as Merry`s grandfather, Rory, was getting old, and was not so vigorous any more. Saradoc had started talking to and teaching Merry about the responsibility that one day would be placed on his shoulders. Merry didn't mind much, as he was able to travel across Buckland with his father, listening to his conversations with the farmers, craftsmen, foresters, and merchants.   
  


Now, Merry was sitting in the window seat in the study, watching the ferry landing. Frodo was coming to visit. He had not seen his cousin in a good while. Frodo had written and said that he would stay an entire month, and Merry had been planning all they would do.   
  


"Now then laddie. What are you doing here?" Old Rory came into the room and sat down behind the large desk, frowning at the lad in the window seat.   
  


"I'm waiting for Frodo. He's supposed to come this afternoon."  
  


"Ah. Let's hope he's not stopped by the weather then. Your father 

said it was raining down in Rushy, and that the clouds were moving north with great speed. It looks like we have a storm coming."  
  


Merry looked out the window, and saw clouds gathering in the sky, but he thought Frodo would miss the rain if he came soon.   
  


"I'll go down to the ferry and wait there."  
  


"You do that, lad, you do that", Rory said, taking a stack of papers and starting to read.   
  


*****  
  


Merry had barely managed to get down to the landing when the ferry came in, and Frodo with it.  
  


"Frodo!"  
  


Merry ran towards his cousin and embraced him fiercely. "I'm so glad you came!"  
  


Frodo smiled and hugged Merry tight. "So, how's my little Master doing? I heard you have been travelling across the country with your father lately."  
  


"It's fun, you know," Merry said. "I learn a lot about what's going on all round, and I think I have been across all there is of it by now."  
  


Frodo laughed, and ruffled Merry`s curls. "So, will you have any time for me, then?"  
  


Merry started talking of all the plans he had for Frodo's visit while they walked towards the Hall. Inside, Frodo was enveloped in a great hug by Merry`s mum, Esmeralda, and spirited away to have tea.

Merry was spirited away himself by some of the other lads in the Hall, who talked him into playing a game of hide and seek. He knew that it was best Frodo did the tea business with his mother now at the start of the visit, because if he didn't she would badger him about it for the whole visit. Besides, if she got the news from Hobbiton first, she would have something to tell the old aunties in the Hall when the ladies had tea later and the talk grew low. 

  
Frodo had been at the Hall for a couple of hours when the rain started to pour down on Buckland, the wind howling. By nightfall it was storming with such force that the soil was quickly saturated and stones loosened from the earth. Branches were blown down from the trees, roots ripped out of their safety in the earth. The Master and the Steward met to talk about the possibility of flood.   
  


"It looks to be quite the storm we're having." The Steward said.  
  


"If the rain continues like this, the river bank might break and trees fall. We need to secure the ferry at our side and the landing on both sides. The Marish can't hold the flood back as well as this side of the river."  
  


"We'll need watchers tonight!" Saradoc said, studying the large and detailed map of Buckland that decorated one of the walls in the study.  
  


*****  
  


The rain continued to pour down, and the next morning the Brandywine was higher than usual, and the storm was only getting worse. Saradoc gathered all the grown ups and older lads and started giving instructions for flood watch and making sandbags. Some were ordered out to start digging trenches. Frodo was considered old enough and able enough to help, so he was joining the teams making sandbags. Merry was informed about this during second breakfast in the kitchen.  
  


"It's not fair" Merry said. "I want to help too!"  
  


"I'm sure they will find something for you to do also. It is very difficult filling sandbags. And the sand is wet now, and heavy." Frodo patted him on the head, and went with the others that were to work on the sandbags. They had some sandbags in the Hall, but there were not nearly enough, and it would just be a matter of time before they needed more. A lot more. Frodo and the others shoveled sand as fast as they could into barley and wheat bags that had been emptied after the last harvest.  
  


Merry pouted a little. He was big enough to help! He had heard often enough that he was a strong and sturdy lad. How come he couldn't prove it now? Not knowing exactly what to do, he walked around a bit until he found his cousin Berilac on his way to the great hall. "Come on, Merry. I think they've decided to let us run messages to the workers."   
  


"Yes!" Merry smiled and hurried after his cousin. It was not the same as helping Frodo, but it was something to do at least.  
  


The younger lads were indeed ordered by Merry`s uncle Merimac to run back and forth with messages. And they had plenty to do. 

The whole morning and early afternoon Merry ran to the river and back, to and fro, giving and carrying messages to workers and wives and the kitchens and his father.   
  


Lunch came and went. The workers were given hot soup in the great hall, eating on shifts. The rain continued pouring, the wind howling on. It was no use changing ones clothing, for after being outside for a little while you were wet again, oiled cloak and jacket or not.   
  


Harry, the stable master, had his hands full with saddling and grooming ponies that were used in watching the riverbank. Wet and tired ponies were replaced with fresh, warm ones.  
  


Down by the river, Saradoc got messages from the incoming watchers alongside the river. "The bank looks safe for now. I've been as far as the Bridge, but all was fine up there. They are piling sandbags on each side of the bank." Saradoc`s brother Merimac said. He had been sent to the Bridge just after directing the younger lads to run messages. "I've sent Seredic and Milo down on the other side, down to the Marish to check on things there. The Maggot-lads should be organising the farmers to dig trenches, but I fear for the fields if the river continues to rise. We might need to get help from Rushy to secure the other side." 

Saradoc nodded and went back to watching the workers on this side of the river. He could not do anything else now. The people of the Marish looked to the Master for authority and Saradoc would not have them feeling forgotten when there was a storm raging their shared river.  
  


*****  
  


Merry came running down the lane towards the landing, with yet another message for his father. It was past teatime, and the workers would not be able to go on much more than a few hours before it was completely dark.   
  


Saradoc was helping the workers fasten the ferry to the high poles. The ferry had broken the former fastenings, and needed to be tightened more securely.   
  


Merry skidded to an abrupt stop where the lane suddenly was a pool of water. The river had risen since the last time he had been down here, too quickly for the sandbags to keep it away.  
  


"Father!" Merry had to yell over the storm. "There's a new message for you!" Saradoc stopped and looked at his son. "What is it?"  
  


"Uncle Merimac says that …." Merry was stopped in delivering his message for the river was welling anew over the sandbags, and widening the pool on the Hall's side. "We need to dig deeper trenches!" Saradoc yelled. Merry`s message was forgotten in the rush to hold the water at bay.   
  


Feeling he was only standing in the way, Merry spotted Frodo and ran over to him, helping him with putting a sandbag on top of the other ones. The pile was getting higher than Merry`s head now.   
  


"Merry! You should get inside. This might be dangerous."  
  


"I want to help." Merry gritted his teeth and helped heave another bag in place. "And I have a message to deliver."  
  


"Then why don't you deliver it then? Your father is over there."  
  


"I know, but he's too busy with the trenches, and it was not that important."  
  


Merry decided he would try to give the message one more time, before he went back to the Hall, and now his father had time to speak to him.   
  


Merry was exhausted and hungry. But he did not complain. His father had made it perfectly clear that all able bodies had to help, and Merry was determined to do what he could.   
  


If the river came too high, the Hall could be flooded and all the Brandybucks and their sundry relatives living there would be affected. That much Merry knew. The river had flooded before, and the Brandybucks always had shovels and bags ready. The snow was melting in the mountains, and made the river bigger and running faster with the amount of water pressed down to Sarn Ford and further to the sea. Merry did not dare think how the Marish was faring, having a much lower riverbank than the Buckland side of the Brandywine.   
  


"Merry!" Saradoc yelled. "This is dangerous! Get back to the Hall, there's nothing you can do here." Saradoc had spotted his son by the sandbags, and seeing that the lad was pale with exhaustion, he thought it best that he went back. If there was another message, surely there were other lads that could deliver it?   
  


"If the river floods any higher the banks will fall." Saradoc said, but knowing how determined Merry could be when he set his mind to something, didn't think he would listen.   
  


Merry started to protest, but his father cut him off. "It's dangerous Meriadoc! And it's dark soon. Frodo will be up soon too. He has been here all afternoon. Go see if there is someone at the Hall that needs help. And get yourself something to eat." He studied the wet, shivering lad on the edge of the pool. His eyes softened a bit. "You look exhausted, Merry my lad. You've done a fine job." He waded through the pool and gave Merry a quick embrace, and kiss on the head, before he turned his attention back to the riverbank.   
  


"All right then." Merry felt defeated, he could not start an argument with his father now. He trudged back towards the hall, pulling his cloak better around his shoulders. Not that it helped much, but the air was getting chill.   
  


*****  
  


Merry was wandering in his own thoughts when something suddenly caught his attention. He had reached the yard in front of the stables, when a pony came galloping in.   
  


"I have a message for the Master!" the rider said. "Where is he?"

  
Merry had moved out of the way when the pony came in, and now he stood forward. "I'll take it," he said. He did not recognize the rider.   
  


The rider got off his pony and said "Will Sandbottom, at your service." Will bowed, seeing the young lad in front of him. He did not look like a stable lad, so Will assumed he was one of the gentlehobbits living in the Hall. To Merry, the rider looked to be a lad not more than five or six years older than himself.  
  


"Merry Brandybuck, at your service and at your family's" Merry said, bowing. "My father's the Master. What happened?"  
  


"There are a lot of trees and branches piling up against the Bridge. The Bridge might break or the trees might break free at any moment, and sweep downstream! It is dangerous to stay by the water any longer!"  
  


Will looked pale and was wet through. "When did you leave the Bridge?" Merry asked. If Will had galloped from the Bridge, the ride would still take at least an hour in this weather, if not more. It was 18 miles from the Bridge to Brandy Hall. "A couple of hours ago I think. It was slow going. Where do I find the Master?" Will was sounding more and more desperate by the second. "The crews need to get away from the water!" He said.  
  


"He's down by the ferry landing." Merry said, thinking. Someone needed to get the message further south. If Will had left when it started to get dangerous, then there might be trees floating down the river already, and then Merry did not know what would happen. But who could go? And who could be spared? Every lad or grown hobbit that was able, was working by the banks of the Brandywine now, and there was none left to go with the message. Merry had to do it himself.  
  


"I'll get Harry to show you where to find the Master. I`ll ride for Standelf."   
  


"Harry!" Merry called for the stable master. "There's large debris in the river, and Will here has been riding hard from the Bridge to bring us the message. Send him to the Master, and tell the Mistress I have to ride to Standelf to give them the warning. The river could be full of trees at any moment, and people might be in danger!"   
  


Merry did not wait for Harry to come with his pony, but ran inside, getting his pony ready himself in a rush. The rain was still coming down freely, so Merry did not bother to change his clothing. If Merry rode fast, he would make it down to Standelf within an hour, he thought, getting on his pony. Not waiting for Harry to comment on the young Master's actions he waved to Will and said "Get the message to the Master as quick as you can, and tell him that I have taken it on to Standelf. Then get yourself some food and a bed at the Hall!"   
  


It was getting darker by the minute, and Merry realized that he might not be able to get to Standelf before it was completely dark. He would have no moon to ride by this night.   
  


*****  
  


Merry had not been riding for long when he saw the first trees in the water. What if he was too late? What if he did not get to Standelf in time, and people were taken by the river? The Brandywine was a swift river, and the current was extremely fast and deep, the water freezing cold. Merry urged his pony on, heedless of wet clothes or grumbling stomach.   
  


He could see the lights of Standelf now, and knew that he had no time to waste. The last half hour he had seen several more trees in the river, and some of them were large enough to pull grown hobbits into the freezing river if they were too close to the bank. Here and there, by farmsteads, he saw sandbags piled up, but some places they had been knocked down by trees pushed to the riverside by the current or rocks in the water.  
  


Coming close to Standelf, he saw trees and debris piled against a sandbar, and more coming downstream fast. In the gathering dark, Merry had not seen the trees in the middle of the river, and since the current was faster there, the trees were also taken downstream more quickly.   
  


_II hope I'm not too late!_ /IMerry thought, again pushing his pony to run faster. There were more and more trees coming! Riding full speed into Standelf and to the riverside, he found a group of hobbits by the bank.  
  


"Hey! There's a lad come riding in. See what he wants!" one of the hobbits shouted over the sound of the rushing river and the pounding rain. Merry stopped his pony, and greeted the farmer. "I came from the Hall." He was out of breath from his fast riding. 

"There are trees and other debris that have broken loose upstream, and will be here any time now. If you don't get away, the bank might be swept away, they're coming downstream fast. A rider came to us just an hour or so ago, saying trees were gathering up by the Bridge."   
  


The farmer that Merry was speaking to lost no time, and shouted to the others lower down the banks. "There's trees and debris coming. Get away from the bank! Now!"   
  


The trees that Merry had seen gathered up against the sandbar had broken loose and were being pushed by the current towards the bank. Due to the pouring rain, the soil in the bank was loosened, and the trees gathered grass and dirt and stones with them, being drawn further down the river. Some of the larger trees got a forklike grip on the bank, and much of the riverside was torn away. The hobbits could only watch.   
  


Gathering on safe ground they watched sandbags, and boat pilings being forced away by the trees. Thankfully none of the workers were caught in the onslaught, and the only one to thank for that was the lad that had come riding in with the warning.

*****  
  


"Thank you!" A farmer said, having helped one of his sons away mere seconds before the riverbank buckled into the swift moving water.  
  


Merry got down from his pony. "Merry Brandybuck at your service, sir" he said.  
  


"Aye. I know you" the farmer replied. "You're the young Master aren't you? I've seen you with your father, riding through Buckland." Merry nodded.   
  


"Nick Chubb at your service, and your family's." The farmer said. 

"Well, we'd better get something warm into you, lad, you're soaking wet." The farmer took Merry`s pony by the reins and told Merry to come home with him. "Nibs and Miro here will keep watch tonight, and alert me if something should happen." He pointed to a couple of sturdy farmers. "You came at the nick of time, laddie. If you hadn't warned us when you did, lives could have been lost tonight."  
  


Merry went with the farmer to his house, was lent some dry clothes, and ate supper with the family there. The farmer thanked Merry several more times during their meal.   
  


After supper Merry rode back to the Hall. His father would want to know what had happened, and since the rain was continuing, Merry rode as fast as the pony could manage safely in the downpour. He did not see many trees in the river now, and hoped that no one had been injured or killed at any other places along the river.   
  


*****  
  


Coming up the road to Brandy Hall, Merry thought about riding directly to the Hall, but decided that he would check on how things were at the riverbank first. He was bone-achingly tired, but the need to find out how things were faring made him gather his strength and ride to the ferry lane. Sandbags were now piled much higher than a hobbit's head, and the pool on the Hall's side had not expanded much. It looked like most of the workers had gone back to the Hall, too.   
  


Seeing that the emergency was over, Merry drew a hiccupping breath, and suddenly shed some tears for the lives that could have been lost had he not been in time. He thought of the families that could have lost a loved one, and knew that preventing that from happening was worth any amount of discomfort or exhaustion on his part.  
  


Gathering thoughts and wit, Merry turned his pony and rode for the stables, and gave his pony to Harry.   
  


"Is Will still at the Hall?" he asked  
  


"Yes he is. He went to your father with the message, and I sent him straight to the Hall after."  
  


"Thank you" Merry said, almost wavering on his feet. "I'll go back to the Hall now too."  
  


"Good night, young Master" Harry said, and led Merry`s pony away to it's own supper and bed.  
  


*****  
  


Inside the Hall, Merry did not get far before his mother found him. 

"Merry!" she exclaimed. "You get yourself into a hot tub, and dry clothes, and have a hot meal. And then your father wants to talk to you."  
  


She did not sound angry, but she had lines of worry on her face, and she hurried him along, giving him a huge hug when they came to the bathroom.  
  


"Oh Merry, my lad. I'm so glad you're back. We have been worried you know."   
  


"What about Will?" he asked.   
  


"You mean the messenger lad that came from the Bridge?" Merry nodded.  
  


"He was given a hot meal, and is staying the night."

  
Merry hurried out of his wet clothes and scrambled up into the tub.   
  


Half an hour later, Merry was in his grandfather's study, almost asleep, but trying to explain what happened in Standelf.  
  


"You did well my lad" Saradoc said. "If you had not been thinking fast, and ridden down there at once, some hobbits might have been killed tonight. I'll go down there tomorrow or the day after, depending on the situation here, and see how they are faring." He enveloped Merry in a long hug, lifting the lad off the floor in the process. "Aye. " His grandfather said. "You'll make a fine Master some day. And it was clever of you to remember that Buckland is more than the Hall."  
  


Merry laid his head on his fathers shoulder and sleepily said 

"You've both told me that I have to think of all of Buckland and the Marish as the Master's responsibility, not just the Hall and Bucklebury."   
  


"Yes. Well, off to bed you go now then. There will be enough work for us tomorrow too. It's still raining."   
  


Saradoc set Merry down again. "Sleep well, my brave Merry-lad. We'll talk more tomorrow." He kissed Merry on the cheek and sat down at the desk. His work was not quite finished yet. There were still reports on damage to be looked over.  
  


On the way to his bedroom, Merry finally found Frodo. He had been looking for his cousin since he came back, and now he was found on the way to the kitchen for a late snack.   
  


"So there's my brave cousin!" Frodo said, hugging the almost sleepwalking child. "You know, it's the talk of all the Hall tonight. How you sent young Will to the Master, and rode to Standelf all by yourself to warn them. You know, the aunties have already started talking about how fine a Master you will make, and are saying that you have shown real courage and leadership today."  
  


"Well, they're Bucklanders down in Standelf too, so I had to go there. You know, all of Buckland and the Marish is the Master's responsibility!" Merry said, echoing the words from a little while ago. Frodo laughed then, and kissed Merry on the top of his head. 

He lifted Merry onto his shoulder and tucked him into bed before going for his late snack. Merry was asleep before Frodo had got Merry into his nightshirt.


	2. Part Two

  
PART TWO: Watching In Vigilance  
  


"A... Atchooo!"  
  


"And good morning to you too!"  
  


Merry sniffled, shuddered and sat down at the breakfast table. He sneezed again and tried to swallow away the feeling of soreness in his throat.   
  


"Merry?" Esmeralda said, looking at her son. "Are you feeling all right?"  
  


"I'm just a bit sniffly, Mum." Merry reached for his tea, and sipped the warm drink, relishing the warm feeling down his throat. He had slept like a log all night, but was feeling stuffy and achy this morning.  
  


"Can I help with the messages today too?" The rain was still pouring down outside the Hall, and most of the grown ups were out by the river already. Merry wanted to be where the excitement was, and to help his father. If Buckland and the safety of hobbits living there was his father's responsibility, than it was Merry`s too. His father did not turn his back on his duty if he had a bit of the sniffles, and therefore Merry could not. "I'll promise to wear warm clothes," he said. I_I will need them anyway, for I'm freezing already, /I_Merry thought and looked to see if the fire in the hearth was burning low.  
  


Esmeralda came around to Merry`s side of the table, and laid a hand on his forehead. "No fever, but I think you should stay inside today, love. I don't want you out in the rain." She stroked his curls, and sat down again. He had done a remarkable job yesterday.  
  


"Please? I'm all right, really. I want to help." If he ran from the Hall to the riverbank he would get warm, he was sure. 

  
Esmeralda eyed him thoroughly, and nodded at length. He had saved lives yesterday after all. If he wanted to help with messages, she could see nothing wrong in that. He was a bit sniffly, and his nose and the tips of his ears were a bit flushed, but he seemed all right otherwise.   
  


"All right, but I want you to stay inside as much as possible."

  
Merry nodded and finished his breakfast. "Where's Frodo?" he asked, sniffing again.  
  


"He's outside with your father I think. They ate breakfast early. The crews by the river did a good job yesterday, for the riverbank seems to be stabilized now." she said, handing him a handkerchief. "Blow your nose."  
  


*****  
  


Merry did not have that many messages to run, and was secretly glad for it. He was not feeling very well, and ached all over. His throat was getting sorer too, and he did feel a bit lightheaded. When lunchtime came he was exhausted, and sat heavily down on his chair at the table. Saradoc looked at him disapprovingly, but said nothing. He reckoned that Merry still was tired after yesterday's ordeal. All the workers were in by now, and ate in the large hall. Frodo had come in together with Merry`s father, and sat down beside Merry at the table. Merry drank his milk eagerly, but only picked at his food. There was much talking going on, so no one noticed. Except Frodo.  
  


"Why are you not eating Merry?"  
  


"I'm not hungry, and it's not very fun to eat with a stuffed nose." He gave a little sneeze and blew his nose, putting his fork down. 

  
Frodo studied his cousin for a while, but decided that Merry probably just had a bit of the sniffles, and Frodo knew from experience that it was not always fun eating when you had trouble breathing through your nose.   
  


"All right. I'm exhausted, but after I've had a little nap we can do whatever you want. Maybe you need a nap too?" Frodo said, thinking that his cousin looked tired.   
  


"I'm not a baby Frodo, I don't need a nap. Maybe we could find a book with some elvish in the library, and you could teach me?"  
  


Frodo laughed. "I don't think we would find any elvish books in the library here, but we shall see what we will find. But I need a nap, and you should try to take one too. You look tired, Merry-lad."  
  


*****  
  


With a mother's sense, Esmeralda thought that something was not quite right. She had gone to bed, but could not sleep. Putting a dressing gown on over her nightdress, she went to Merry`s room. He had been sniffling and sneezing the whole day, and knowing that he almost never was ill, she thought she would just check on him before going back to bed. Like all children Merry had had a few bouts with a head cold necessitating a couple of days in bed, but he had never been really ill, and was back on his feet quickly. Merry seemed to always go free when an illness went through the Hall.   
  


Carefully she opened the door to the room, and went inside. It was almost completely dark, save for the lamp burning low on the desk. She could hear the rain outside the Hall. Merry was lying with his back to the door, snoring lightly through his stuffed nose, his bright curls tousled and mussed, indicating a restless sleep. She stood watching her little lad for a moment, then leaned over to give him another good night kiss before going back to her own bed.   
  


Feeling her cool hand on his shoulder while she kissed his curls, Merry awoke and shifted over to his back. "Mum?" he rasped. 

  
Esmeralda sat down on his bedside, and put a hand to his forehead, stroking away the damp curls. He was hot, and now that his eyes were open, she saw they were bright with fever. 

  
"Oh, Merry" she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well? You're burning up."  
  


"I wanted to help with the messages. And you said I did not have any fever this morning."  
  


"I know, darling." Silently she reprimanded herself for not having watched over him more closely, but he had been with Frodo all afternoon, and he had seemed all right that morning. She had seen him briefly at supper, but he did not look any more ill then.

  
She reached for the water mug on his nightstand, and lifted his head, helping him to sip a little.  
  


"How do you feel love?"  
  


Merry tried to sit up, but the motion only made him cough. 

  
"My throat is sore, and I ache everywhere. Everything hurts, Mum." Large watery eyes looked up at her. She felt like crying. Her brave and strong Merry did not look like anything else than a miserable, sick child now. I_And that is what he is, and I am going to do all I can to make him betteri/._ She kissed him again, and smoothed the covers about him.  
  


"I'll be right back."  
  


*****  
  


Esmeralda went to fetch a bowl, cold water, some cloths and a jar of salve. She entered Merry`s room again, knowing that she would not get any more sleep this night.   
  


Merry slept again. Sometimes she forgot that he was only 12 years old. Knowing it was his destiny to be Master one day, he had taken on more responsibility than she had ever imagined that a lad of his age would do. And he had saved lives. Saved lives. She could not quite understand that yet. Her brave lad, her little Merry had saved several lives yesterday.   
  


She wrung a cloth out over the bowl, and placed it on Merry`s brow.   
  


Esmeralda pulled the covers down to Merry`s waist and unbuttoned his nightshirt. The salve she had brought with her was made to ease the coughing. She silently opened the jar and gently rubbed some of the salve on Merry`s chest. He was hotter now, and she had been gone from his side only a few minutes.  
  


Merry coughed a bit in his sleep and shifted. Esmeralda replaced the cloth on his brow and stroked his curls. This was going to be a long watch.   
  


Merry settled again and slept on.   
  


*****  
  


Merry awoke, suddenly coughing deep and wetly. Instinctively he curled into a tight ball.   
  


Esmeralda rose quickly from her chair, and lifted him into a sitting position. Merry was drenched in sweat and his skin was very hot to the touch. Esmeralda held him through the fit and when it passed, she gave him a little water to drink.   
  


She wrung out a fresh cloth and gently washed his fevered body. She laid him back down and dressed him in a new nightshirt from the cupboard. If he was no better in the morning she would send for the healer. A new cloth was placed on Merry`s forehead.  
  


*****  
  


The next day it was still raining, and Frodo decided he would wake his little cousin with breakfast in bed. He fixed a nice tray with all of Merry's favourites and made his way to the lad's room. Setting the tray down before the door, he opened it slowly and peered inside. Esmeralda was sitting in the chair by the bed, and Merry was asleep, snoring heavily.   
  


Frodo spotted the bowl on the nightstand and the cloth in Esmeralda`s hand. She had just wrung it out, and was about to place it back on Merry`s brow.  
  


"Merry!"  
  


Frodo rushed to the bed and knelt by Merry, taking his hand. "Oh Merry… What happened, Cousin Esmie?"  
  


"He became feverish some time after he went to bed I think. Did he complain to you about not feeling well yesterday?"  
  


"No, but I sensed that he was not well, sniffling and sneezing as he was. And he seemed exhausted too, but stubborn lad that he is, he claimed he was fine when I suggested that he take a nap. We were in the library all afternoon."  
  


Frodo stroked Merry`s curls and looked back at Esmeralda.  
  


"He's so hot!" he almost whispered, then asked: "How long have you been here, Cousin?"  
  


"All night. I couldn't sleep, and came to give him another good night kiss, and when I got here, he was feverish."  
  


"I brought a breakfast tray, hoping to surprise him. He was so brave yesterday! Do you think we should wake him?" Frodo took the cloth from Merry`s head, feeling it's dryness and quickly wet it again, gently wiping Merry`s face.  
  


"No, we'll wait a bit longer. He woke up several times coughing, so I think he needs what sleep he can get. Bring the tray in here, and go get Saradoc please. I'll wait here. And see if you can find the healer. Hurry, Frodo dear!"   
  


"Yes, Cousin." Frodo said, hurrying out of the room, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Merry sick? That was beyond comprehension. Frodo had known Merry all 12 years of his young cousin's life, but could not recall him being this sick before. He ran towards the Master's study, hoping to find his cousin there.   
  


*****  
  


Just a few minutes after Frodo left, Saradoc entered Merry`s room, coming to the bed. He had not seen his son except for meals yesterday, There had been too much discussion going on about the securing of banks and planning the clean up now that the worst was over, so he had had little time to see how Merry was faring. He had noticed, though, that Merry was sniffling a bit and sneezing. But if Esmeralda was not worried, he saw no reason to be concerned. Now an almost breathless Frodo had come for him, saying that Merry was ill, and please come at once.   
  


Merry stirred, coughing. He shifted a little, trying to find a comfortable position. Saradoc reached for Merry before Esmeralda could, and lifted his son upright, whispering soothing noises in his ear. Merry was like a rag doll in his arms when the fit passed. Limp, sweaty and flushed, he was laid back down. The Master remained perched on the edge of the bed, gently rubbing Merry`s arm.  
  


Esmeralda was giving her husband a brief description of what had happened when Frodo entered with the healer.   
  


*****  
  


Pardy, the healer, started issuing orders at once, when he saw the ill lad lying limply in the bed. Frodo had explained what he had seen himself, and what Merry`s mum had told him. "Master, get more cold water! Mistress, would you please move out of the way?" Frodo was standing forgotten by the hearth.  
  


Saradoc got up and grabbed the bowl and hurried to comply. 

"Don't worry sweetie, he's just here to check on you, all right? You were out in the rain for a long time you know." Esmeralda said, moving her chair a little further from the bed.  
  


"Aye. I heard you did a fine job, alerting the people in Standelf. You'll be a fine Master when your turn comes." The healer said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.  
  


Merry was still breathless, and nodded. He was not used to having the attention of a healer, and felt a little intimidated. Merry looked from one grown up to another. His parents seemed nervous about something, and the healer had ordered them about. You did not order the Master about without a very good explanation. Merry had been sick before, and they had not reacted like this then. But as far as Merry could recall, they hadn't called for the healer before either. Sure, there had been scrapes and bruises before, but nobody had been acting like they were now. Merry did not feel well at all, but surely there were no reason for this behavior, was there? Merry felt a sudden urge to have Frodo close, this beloved elder cousin that Merry could always trust to have a solution to everything.   
  


"Frodo?" he rasped out, barely audible, and no one heard him. And now the healer was filling all his vision, smiling at him.  
  


"Now then laddie, let's see what's what, shall we?" Pardy saw the lad's half frightened look, and started talking nonsense to Merry while checking his ears and eyes and feeling his throat. He turned Merry`s head from side to side, and asked him to open his mouth.   
  


While having his head turned, Merry spotted Frodo standing by the hearth, looking as frightened as Merry felt. He wanted to reach out to him and give him a hug, but felt too weak, and this healer was in the way.  
  


"Your throat is sore, isn't it?" he said.  
  


"Yes." it came like a rasping whisper. 

  
A cool hand was placed on his forehead, and Merry leaned against the soothing touch, feeling even weaker now than after the coughing. Esmeralda took his hand, stroking it gently.   
  


"Has he been coughing much?" Pardy said, looking at Esmeralda.  
  


"He's been coughing a bit during the night, and he had a fit now just before you came." she said.  
  


Pardy turned his attention back to Merry. "I have to listen to your breathing now young master. I'll take your nightshirt off first. You're all sweaty and I think you probably want a new one." Merry just nodded and allowed the healer to take his shirt. He shivered a little, but said nothing.   
  


Esmeralda saw it though, and silently pleaded with her eyes for the healer to be quick. Frodo was anxiously following the examination from his corner by the hearth. What if his dear little cousin was terribly ill? What if _he _died after saving those people? 

He looked so small and weak. Not the strong, laughing, mischievous lad Frodo was used to having around. Frodo felt like crying at the mere thought. It was not fair! Merry was just a little lad. He forced those thoughts away and concentrated on the activity by the bed.  
  


Drawing a deep breath when told to do so, Merry started coughing again, the healer holding him this time.   
  


When the fit ended, he laid Merry back down against the pillows, and poked him a bit at the stomach, tickling as he did so. Merry did not squirm even a little, but stayed put, eyes closed, breathing high pitched and shallow.  
  


"Give him a bath, not too hot, and put him back to bed. I'll give him some tea to ease the coughing, and reduce that fever, but he should be fine with a couple of days in bed. And you ought to get some rest and food yourself Mistress."  
  


Esmeralda looked at the tray Frodo had brought, then shook her head and moved the chair back to the bedside again, taking Merry`s hand and stroking his curls. From the corner of her eye she saw Frodo coming forward too, kneeling by Merry`s head.  
Saradoc thanked the healer and followed him outside Merry`s room.  
  


"How bad is it?" he asked, anxiety in his eyes.  
  


"It can go either way. But I want you to keep a close eye on him. Even if he is normally a strong lad, he is very weak now. The fever has taken a lot of his strength, and that coughing is not good. I'm not saying that he will get worse, but I am concerned about the effects of the coughing and his fever. It sounded like he has some fluid in his lungs. I'll be by a bit later with the tea."  
  


Bathed and in clean sheets and nightshirt Merry slept again, tired out from the coughing and the fever stealing the energy of his body.   
  


*****  
  


When he awoke again, coughing, Frodo was sitting by his bed, tea mug in hand. He set the mug down and helped Merry sit up, one arm round his back, a hand on his forehead, steadying his head. Frodo had not bothered going to the great hall to eat, but had brought something with him to Merry`s room when he had relieved Esmeralda of the watch. Most of it stood untouched though. He was too anxious about Merry to eat much.  
  


"Hullo there. How are you feeling?" he said after the fit passed, Merry resting in his arms.  
  


"Stuffy and achy and my chest hurts too." Merry shifted a little. "And thirsty".  
  


Frodo got the water mug from the nightstand and helped Merry take a few sips. He put his hand on Merry`s forehead. "You have a fever you know. That would make you achy. And your body is probably tired of coughing so much." He tried to sound calm, but Frodo was scared about how ill Merry was.  
  


"Mmmm…" Merry fell back against Frodo and closed his eyes.   
  


"Go back to sleep, love. It's the best thing for you." Frodo wrung out the cloth and put it back on Merry`s brow, brushing away limp curls. He would need more cool water soon.  
  


*****  
  


"My lad Will says that the young Master saved lives in Standelf the other day. They say he rode from the Hall down there in no time, and that if he hadn't come to alert them about the trees coming down the river, hobbits could have died," one farmer said to another.   
  


"Aye. Ah… Here's the Master himself. Maybe he can tell us more?" the other said.  
  


The rain had stopped for now, and workers were storing away the sandbags and the trenches were filled again. Buckland was preparing to go back to normal. Saradoc had, even if he did not want to with Merry sick, ridden up to the Bridge to check on things there. He would ride to Standelf later. He arrived the inn in Newbury just in time to hear the farmer's comment about Merry`s actions.  
  


"Come to check on the Bridge, Master?" the first farmer said.  
  


"Yes. I've been up there already and everything seems to be in order. It looks like you lot did a good job. It was your lad who came to the Hall with the message? You tell him I'm glad he made that journey. If he had not been so fast, our messenger would not have come to Standelf in time." Saradoc had of course told the lad this himself, but it did not hurt to tell the father as well. He was always pleased when someone told him that Merry had done a fine job with something.  
  


"Aye. And where's your lad? We have hardly seen you without him lately. He went down to Standelf himself, didn't he?" The curiosity was plain on his face. Hobbits liked to gossip, and if there was some news about the Master or his family, every Bucklander saw it as his or her right to know. They loved their Master, and old Rory. And Saradoc had proved to be a good, conscientious caretaker of the strip of land between the Brandywine and the Old Forest. Little Merry was also showing his potential as the upcoming Master, even if that was a long time ahead.  
  


Saradoc thought a moment before answering. He knew that whatever was said would be repeated and multiplied several times by who knew how many before they were finished. But he had to tell the truth. If there was one thing Saradoc had tried to make Merry understand, it was that he always should be truthful. He could do no less himself.  
  


"He's back at the Hall," he finally said.  
  


"Busy with other things today is he? That's a shame as he seems eager enough to travel around the Shire with you. Or that Baggins cousin of his."  
  


"He's ill." Saradoc said. "He's come down with a cold, and is being kept in bed."   
  


"Oh. I am sorry to hear that," the first farmer said. Hobbits would gossip about all and nothing, but they never liked it if someone was ill, especially not if it was a child. And this was the Master's child, a lad that had shown great valor with his actions.  
They had the attention of all the visitors in the inn by now, and the farmer said "Give him our best then, if you please, Master."  
  


"I will" Saradoc said. He had thought about staying for luncheon, but decided against it, he would never be back at the Hall before dark and he had to ride to Standelf too. And he had a sudden desire to see how Merry was faring.  
  


Merry had, of course, not been far away from his father's thoughts all day, but now Saradoc felt the urge to sit by his bedside and watch over his son. It suddenly came to him that he had only this one child, and he vowed to look after his little Merry-lad as much as he possibly could. Mounting his pony, he kicked it in to a brisk run for the Hall. He would risk a quick stop there before going to Standelf   
  



	3. Part Three

PART THREE: Bedside Talk  
  


When Saradoc entered Merry`s room, the healer was on his way out.  
  


"What...?" the Master did not know exactly what to ask.  
  


"Don't worry, Master. I just gave him some more tea. He has been coughing a lot, and needs to get some real sleep, not just fevered unconsciousness. Go on in. It was not a sleeping draught I gave him. Just something to ease his coughing, much like what I gave him this morning."   
  


Saradoc had not had much time to talk to Merry after he came home from warning Standelf, and he would very much like to know what Merry had thought and why he had decided to act as he did. The Master did not disapprove of Merry`s actions, he only wanted to know what had gone through his head. Merry had shown more interest than Saradoc had ever hoped for in his future role as Master, and he wanted to make good use of this time together with his son now while it lasted. Soon Merry would have interests farther afield than just Buckland, and then it would be too late to start the training.   
  


There was Saradoc and Esmie's new little nephew away in the Tookland that seemed to have attached himself firmly to Merry, and when the lads were in one place Merry was taking him with him wherever he went, together with Frodo or the other lads. Those lads would get into more mischief than Saradoc thought was possible for only two or three (if little Pippin joined them) lads to get into. But, who was he to judge, he had been the terror of the Hall himself once, and the apple had not fallen far from the tree it seemed.  
  


Saradoc exchanged a worried glance with Esmie, noted that Frodo was fast asleep in a chair in the corner, and then sat down on the side of the bed, and gently laid a hand on Merry`s face. Merry was lying on his back, eyes closed. He was partly propped up to ease his heavy breathing and he was burning with fever.  
  


"Oh, my Merry." Merry, not quite asleep, blinked his eyes open a bit and licked his lips.  
  


"Hullo, Dad." He whispered.  
  


Saradoc reached for the mug on the nightstand, and put an arm behind Merry`s head, lifting him a bit. "There's a good lad." He put the mug back down again; it was almost as full as before. Merry had only managed a few small sips.  
  


"How is he?" Saradoc said, holding Merry`s hand and gently rubbing it.  
  


"He's coughing more and more often, and it does not sound good. I've washed him down again, the third time today. I'm frightened, Saradoc! What if our lad is as ill as little Pippin was last year? We almost lost him you know." Esmeralda had been folding clothes and putting them in Merry`s cupboard, now she turned back to her husband. "I know we should not talk about this in front of him, but I can't leave him."  
  


Suddenly, as if Saradoc had not seen Merry before, the lad appeared to his father like he had shrunken in the bed. And so fast! Only yesterday he had been up and about, if not exactly well. Merry was not little for his age, but now he looked so very small. His cheeks sunken and flushed, his little chest heaving with each breath he drew in. Merry shifted a bit at the gentle touch of his father's fingers.   
  


"Sssh, Merry my lad. It's all right I'm here. Mum's here too. You just sleep now."  
  


Saradoc looked up from the child and faced his wife. "It can't be as bad as that. Merry is both much older and stronger than Pippin was, even if he is ill now, it does not have to mean that he has anything but a bad cold. And Pippin was just a baby, you can't compare Merry to a three year old lad." He rose and went to lay a hand on Esmeralda`s shoulder.   
  


"No, I suppose you're right. I'm just scared, you know. And I love him so… Oh Saradoc!" She turned and buried her head in his shoulder, letting tension go and sobbing.  
  


"It'll be all right. Our Merry is strong. He will get through this. You just watch over him now."  
  


"Aye. I will."  
  


"It's still raining, and I need to get to Standelf, I am sorry love. I would have someone else go, but how can I fail to do my duty by my people when my little son rode through rain and storm to save them?"   
  


Esmeralda nodded. "I know. Although some might think that you don't know your responsibilities if you leave your ill son's side." she said softly. You could never know which way the talk might go, and people seemed to have their own opinions about what was right and wrong when it came to their leaders. Esmeralda knew Saradoc wanted to sit by Merry above all right now, but she also knew that he had to look out for all his "children".   
  


"Hurry back, please. Frodo and I will keep watch." Knowing he would protest and say she needed to rest too, she said "And if one of us is not here, there are enough aunties and cousins to spell us. Your brother sat with him a little while ago. There was an emergency in the kitchens I had to see to." She went over to the bed, laying a cool hand against Merry` s cheek. Oh how she loved these two hobbits! Merry was so like his father. Not just in appearance, but also in the way he thought and acted.   
  


"I had to tell the people up in Newbury that Merry was ill, they asked you know. Since he has been with me so much lately they wondered where he was."   
  


After taking a look at Merry, seeing that he looked to be sleeping, she continued their hushed conversation. "Will you sit with him for a minute? I need to get some broth ready, and I'm reluctant to wake Frodo, he too needs to rest. I'll bring some food for you too. You have time for a bite before you go."   
  


*****  
  


Esmeralda came back with the broth and a tray with food for Saradoc. Merry seemed to slumber peacefully, albeit heavily.   
  


"I don't like the way his fever is going," Saradoc said, replacing the cloth again. "Is there nothing we can do?"   
  


"I've bathed him several times today." Esmeralda put her hand on Merry`s chest, under his shirt, he was indeed hot. "I've been thinking about writing to Paladin, but have not made up my mind yet. Saradoc… What if our Merry should die?  
  


"There, now, we don't want to make things sound worse than they are."  
  


"I know. It is just that he has never been this ill before. He is our only child you know, and I don't know what I'd do if we should lose him."  
  


"It would be wrong of you not to be concerned, love. You're his mother after all. You just take good care of our lad, and I'll be back as fast as I can."  
  


"You always know what to say." Esmeralda looked out of the window. "You had better be going now, if you are to get to Standelf and back before dark."   
Saradoc kissed his wife and son, and left the room.  
  


*****  
  


Hearing the door close behind the Master, Frodo awoke, and stretched in his chair. He looked over at the bed. Merry was shifting about a little. It seemed like the noise had woken Merry up too, for he was suddenly hunched over, coughing fiercely, arms wrapped about his stomach. Two sets of hands shot out to support him, and cousin and mother bumped heads in their urgency to help.  
  


The coughing was changing. Merry`s face was beet red and tears were streaming down his face. He hacked, coughed and gagged, and some thick liquid came up. Merry gagged more, and threw up on his covers, having lost all control, broth, tea and water rushing out. Merry whimpered and went completely limp in their arms.   
Esmeralda let Frodo hold Merry, and collected the covers and threw them on the floor, then she ran out of Merry`s room and threw open the door of the Master's quarters, stopping the first hobbit she saw. "Get the healer, and water, both hot and cold!" The stunned hobbit was her nephew, Berilac, and he stopped dead when his auntie yelled at him. He was unused to seeing his normally composed aunt so upset. "Go laddie!" she yelled. Berilac ran.   
  


In the meantime, Frodo had laid Merry down and started undressing him, whispering soothing words in his ears, not sure if Merry heard them or not. But at least that horrible coughing had stopped. Esmeralda came and helped him, and together they got the soaked nightshirt off of Merry and wrapped him in blankets. Frodo sat down in the chair, and held Merry in his lap while Esmeralda stripped the rest of the bed.  
  


Berilac came running into the room with the healer. Pardy did not waste any time and went directly over to Frodo and the limp and almost unconscious Merry in his arms. Feeling for his pulse and listening to his heart and lungs, the healer laid a hand on Merry`s cheek.   
  


"We need to get him cooled down, but I'm afraid of what that will do to his lungs. We can't risk his fever raging on like this though." Berilac was sent away again to get a tub ready. Pardy grabbed Merry from Frodo's arms and ran with him to the bathing room deeper inside the Master's quarters. Frodo and Esmeralda followed, white faced and scared. Both had evidence of recent tears in their eyes. Servants went scattering as the healer came running with the wrapped up form of the young Master in his arms. Word had gone through the Hall that he had come down with a cold, but this looked nastier than a bout of the sniffles. Word spread anew, saying that the young Master was close to death, or at least gravely ill.  
  


Water was quickly added to a tub, and Merry was literally thrown in. "Hold his head, Frodo! Mistress, take water and pour over his head. Not too cold mind you. I'll be right back. Continue until he feels distinctively cooler."   
  


Merry had not been truly awake through most of the day, but came abruptly awake now when he was lowered into the water. Boneless, breathless and weak as he felt, he kicked and flailed, but Frodo had climbed into the tub with him, and was sitting back on his heels, firmly keeping Merry still. Water, cold to Merry, was poured over his head while Frodo whispered soothing nonsense in his ears.   
  


A few minutes after leaving, the healer was back with a jar of something. He checked Merry`s temperature, and after a while proclaimed him safe for now. Merry was lifted out of the bath, dried and put in a clean nightshirt, blankets wrapped about him.   
Pardy lifted Merry from his mother`s arms and carried him back to his room. The return journey to the bedroom was not as hurried as the journey to the bathing room had been, and now Berilac followed in their wake, terrified for his cousin. Several servants lined the hallways.   
  


When Merry was put back to bed, Pardy opened the jar, and just like Esmeralda had the previous night, rubbed a salve into Merry`s chest. It smelled good, and the gentle massage made Merry relax and fall asleep  
  


*****  
  


Saradoc rode as quickly as he could to Standelf and back. But the ride was not as quick as he would have liked. Several times he was stopped by curious hobbits that had heard about Merry`s feats and wanted to thank him. Several asked where Merry was, since he was not with his father. Again Saradoc said that Merry was back at the Hall, ill in bed.   
  


"I'm sorry to hear that," the farmer that Merry had spoken to said, when asking about the lad. "He was very wet and cold when he came here, but seemed fine otherwise. I made sure he put on some dry things and gave him a hot drink and supper before he insisted on going back to the Hall."  
  


"I appreciate that", Saradoc said.   
  


Even if part of the bank had fallen into the river, there was no crisis in Standelf for now, at least not as long as the rain had stopped pouring down the way it had been doing the last couple of days.  
  


"You just continue as you have up till now, and things should be back to normal soon enough."  
  


"Aye. Give our sincere thanks to the young Master now, he's a fine lad."  
  


"Aye, that he is." Saradoc mounted his pony and left for the Hall.   
Partway between the village and the Hall, a rider came at full speed, waving for the Master to stop.  
  


"Master, Master. You're needed back at the Hall. They say the young Master is dying!"  
  


"What?" Saradoc could not believe this. "What happened? I was with him just before I left, and he was ill indeed, but not dying."  
  


"Some of the servants said that the healer had borne him in great haste to the bathing room, talking about young Master Merry needing to be cooled down. They were in a great hurry, sir, and did not come out for a long while, and the Mistress and young Mister Baggins looked to have been crying."   
  


Saradoc looked at the rider for a moment, recognizing him as one of the older lads in the Hall, not a servant exactly, but son of one of the many engineers that lived in the Hall.   
  


"Who sent you?"   
  


"The Steward, sir. He said to find you and tell you to come at once."  
  


"Well, I'm on my way home now anyway, you might as well join me." Saradoc thought his Steward had acted a bit hastily, but then, everybody was concerned about Merry it seemed. And if Esmeralda had asked the Steward to have someone send for him, it was possible that she did not explain the situation in her normal calm manner, and the message got garbled. Still, Saradoc could not help feeling anxious.  
  


*****  
  


"Sweetie, are you awake? Merry dear?" Merry stirred and shifted about a little. He blinked his eyes open.   
  


"Mum? Frodo?" He could not place the people in the room at once. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he recognized several people hovering by his bed. There was his mum, Frodo and his cousin Berilac of all people. Merry could not recall seeing him in the room earlier.  
  


"Oh!" Esmeralda almost started crying: Merry was really awake.   
  


"How are you feeling?" Frodo was sitting by his bedside.   
  


"Tired and achy, and …" Merry put a hand to his own forehead. "I feel… I still have a fever, right?"  
  


"I'm afraid you do, but it is better now, honey." Esmeralda said, stroking his face with a light touch. To Merry her hand felt cool and soothing. He leaned against her.  
  


"You should sleep some more, you know. We can talk later. Take something to drink first, though." Frodo helped Merry drink, and settled his cousin comfortably against the pillows.  
  


"All right."  
  


Merry was indeed still feverish, but his temperature had gone down somewhat, and he when he coughed it was not as wetly as before. He was on the mend.   
  


*****  
  


In the Master's study a tense conversation was going on. When Saradoc had returned, he had gone straight to Merry`s room, only to find that his son was sleeping and Frodo was sitting in the chair, reading. Frodo told him that Merry had woken up and talked to them, and Saradoc could feel for himself that Merry`s fever was reduced to a level where it was not dangerous any more. Now he was having a conversation with the Steward and his father. And not just about the flooding and the cleaning up after it.   
  


"Why did you send for me like that? You scared me!"   
  


"We were all scared, Saradoc! We all love Merry dearly, and it did look nasty for some time." Rory said.  
  


"Yes, but why scare the whole Hall by sending out a messenger?"  
  


"The whole Hall was scared in the first place. Everyone has followed Merry`s illness like hawks. Don't you understand? When the healthy and sturdy Merry suddenly is very ill, everyone is concerned. He is the young Master, and he is deeply loved by all the Brandybucks. He ran back and forth with messages for a long time before even going to Standelf you know."   
  


"All right, all right. But will someone stop that talk about Merry dying now? He's on the mend, though he's not well yet. I'll be in his room if you need me."  
  


*****  
  


Back in Merry`s room, Saradoc settled down by the bed. He had sent Frodo off to his own bed now, reassuring the lad for the hundredth time that Merry would be fine, and that Frodo needed rest. Merry would have to stay in bed for several days more, and would probably require Frodo's company most of that time for storytelling or a round or two of his favourite board game.   
  


The evening went slowly by for the watching Master. He wanted to have a talk with Merry, but Merry was never really awake if he woke at all. The healer poked his head in, and checked on Merry, rubbing some more salve into his chest, and monitoring his temperature, leaving a tea with Saradoc to give Merry when he awoke.   
  


"He'll be fine" he assured the Master. "You should get some sleep yourself. These have been some trying days for you too, and we don't need both Master and young Master ill in bed, now do we?"  
  


"I suppose you're right. But someone needs to watch with Merry, and I'll gladly do it. I'll just sleep here. I want to be close by if he should want me or wake up coughing."  
  


"All right." It was a father's responsibility to watch over his sick son, and that went for the Master too. "I'll be by tomorrow again. See if you can keep his fever down with those cloths. If anything changes for the worse, call for me at once!"  
  


"I will."  
  


*****  
  


Merry slept through most of the night, only waking a couple of times with a cough. The fever, though, lingered. Saradoc was true to his word and sat by Merry`s bed through the night, cooling him down or helping him through the coughing. At dawn, Frodo came to sit with him.  
  


*****  
  


Merry woke up to the smell of food. He shifted to his side, and curled up, but not due to pain, only because he wanted to. He felt tired, stuffy, sore and weak, but he felt much better than he had yesterday.  
  


He coughed a little, and sneezed.   
  


Frodo had been reading, but Esmeralda had brought breakfast for him, and some broth for Merry, hoping he was awake by now. It was time for second breakfast.  
  


"Morning Merry! Are you hungry? How do you feel?"  
  


Breakfast, bath, a little nap and visit by the healer done, and Merry sat back against his pillows eyeing Frodo.  
  


"What?" Frodo was amused. Merry was definitely on the mend, for his eyes gleamed with mischief in addition to the retreating fever.   
  


"Can I get out of bed? I've been here for an eternity!"  
  


"Of course you can't. You're not even well enough to use the privy by yourself yet, silly. You have to stay in bed at least today and tomorrow. You heard that yourself." Merry was not the most patient of hobbits. He wanted to be up and about and not lie idly here while the other lads were out playing. The rain had let up completely now, but it was still muddy and slippery outside, so the youngsters would be playing inside. And then there was all that he had planned for Frodo`s visit. When he would be allowed out of bed, they would have lost almost a week already. Merry was getting impatient.  
  


"But I have …" Merry tried to stifle a sneeze, but failed "I have so many plans for your visit!"  
  


Frodo gave him a handkerchief "And we have a lot of time yet. Don't worry Mer."  
  


"Please?"  
  


"I'm sorry, love, but I can't let you up when your mother and the healer made it very clear not to. But I´m so glad you are better. You had a nasty fever last night."  
  


"Well, I´m all better now. Will you read me a story then?"  
  


"Of course!" Frodo grabbed the book he had been reading earlier and started a story. Merry sat back against his pillows and was asleep before Frodo had finished the first page.  
  


*****  
  


When Merry awoke the next time, it was to his father stroking his curls and gently shaking his shoulder.  
  


"Hullo, my Merry-lad." He said when seeing Merry`s eyes open. "Did you sleep well?"  
  


"Yes."  
  


"I have some food here, would like some?" Saradoc looked over at the tray he had brought with him.  
  


"Yes, please."  
  


"You're hungry then?"  
  


"Mmm. Father? I did right the other day? Riding to Standelf I mean?"  
  


Saradoc sat the plate down. Had he not told Merry that? "Well of course you did. Did I not tell you?"  
  


"Maybe. I was very tired, so I can't remember, and then I have been too sick to think of it."  
  


"Well, Merry my lad. You did a wonderful job, and everyone in the Hall and the rest of Buckland is proud of you! They're talking about what a great leader you will be. You just continue like that, and you will be the best Master Buckland ever had."  
  


Merry flushed a bit. "I will try my best."  
  


"I know you will. I love you Merry mine."  
  


Merry reached out his arms and was enveloped in a great bear hug. "Love you too, dad."  
  


"Now. How about that food?"  
  


"Yes please." Merry said, and reached for the plate.  
  


The Master of Buckland locked eyes with his heir, and handed over the plate. Merry would be fine. There was no doubt.   
  



End file.
